Dan boarded a plane bound for Holland
where he would spend 4 days with a resident friend (Joe), seeing cathedrals
and of course the Rembrandts, Van Goghs, maritime museum, and other unique
things in the canal-filled city of Amsterdam.

Then he flew to Nairobi, the capitol of Kenya. This flight took him across
Europe, down the boot of Italy, across the Mediterranean, over Sudan,
across the Sahara to the Nile, which was followed all the way to Kenya.
Dan enjoyed crystal clear weather for the entire flight. He writes:

Glance at any map and you'll see that this great desert dominates North
Africa, but its planetary scale is still a surprise. Of my time in Africa,
I have space here only to share a few tidbits. I set up computers for
a conference
in which east African Community nations developed strategies for cooperation
during times of disaster. The work was conducted in a posh British-Empire-style
hotel while in the city beggars dying of AIDS lay homeless under the African
sun.

Nairobi
offers all that you would expect of a third world city. Modern glass office
towers stand amidst the filth, corruption, and poverty in which the population
struggles. The hopelessness of many Africans will impress the American
visitor, but so will the energy and talent with which the Kenyans pursue
their livelihoods. In the U.S., malnourished children are a staple image
on TV and in magazines, but less frequently shown are the many Africans
who come straight out of a Horatio Alger or Dickens story.

One particularly memorable experience was a narrow escape from an angry
mob that exploded into the streets during an anti-government riot. As
a helpless passenger in the rear of a hired van, I could only watch as
our driver, leaning out of the window, screaming in Swahili and gesticulating
wildly, took all means necessary to secure our escape. In the midst of
chaos, he drove over median strips, sidewalks, on the wrong side of the
road, and into oncoming traffic. While this was happening, my traveling
companion - a Special Forces colonel - grinned and said "This is great,
it's just like the old days in Panama!"(I'm not making this up!). Later,
I found out that the tourist van just behind us had been seized, overturned,
and its passengers beaten up and robbed. Needless to say, we tipped heavily
that day.

Other adventures include being encrusted with angry, red, stinging ants
and being head-butted by a giraffe
(I was asking for it). I spent several days in the Maasai
Mara, which is the northern extent of the Serengeti. Landing on a
dirt airfield, I could see animals before I left the plane. For days I
was driven around by expert guides, who showed me exactly what you would
expect to see in Africa: lions, elephants, giraffes, wildebeests and a
stunning array of magnificent birds.

I met tribal people - the Maasai,
who are like the Mennonites in that they reject modern society, and still
live like their ancestors. They dwell in houses made from cow turds, eat
only milk and cow's blood, and have many other curious customs. Of course,
I was just as strange to them; two little boys sighted me drinking from
a long, flexible plastic straw and gaped in complete astonishment. The
majority of the Maasai I met were not educated in the western sense and
could not imagine what kind of life is lived in America. Of course, I
am the mirror of that as far as they are concerned; what a pathetic specimen
I am - I don't own a single cow!

I then traveled by car to the north-central region of the country, which
is on the edge of the Sahara. Passing by one of the largest outdoor bazaars
in the world, I saw kerchiefed women carrying baskets of figs on their
heads, people riding camels, and turbaned merchants engaged in ritualistic
haggling (I should mention that I became good at this myself, because
all transactions were like this). I spent a few days in the dusty region
known as Samburu,
where I saw many more animals, including secretary birds and an elusive
leopard.

During my travels in Kenya I crossed the Equator four times; I took the
opportunity to test the coriolis
force. To my astonishment, only a few yards north or south were enough
to see a difference in the behavior of draining water. Less than 48 hours
later I
would stand on the prime meridian in Greenwich, U.K.

For a complete photo album including sounds and commentary,
click here.